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Outgoing Today Show co-host Katie Couric flexed her investigative journalist’s muscles this morning in the second installment of a two-part, self-proclaimed ‘hard-hitting’ piece on ‘what men think is sexy.’"

The segment probed 800 men to find out whether they preferred their women to be size two or 10, sporting jeans or something more sensual, and their bodies to be natural or augmented by plastic surgery. Katie’s investigative swat team grilled groups of "brainy" and "brawny" men to slice and dice the findings and see if the nerds had different tastes than the hunks.

I won’t insult your intelligence by going any further. The point is that this sort of fluff is Katie’s strong suit. America loves Katie and her slightly naughty, mostly nice girl-next-door manner. Pieces like the one today are what made her the media darling she is. It’s also why I cannot she her succeeding as a nighttime news anchor on CBS. It’s one thing for Ms. Couric to discourse on the latest trends in negligees. It’ll be something quite different to see her report on our young men being killed in Iraq, Iran’s blatant march towards a full nuclear weapons program or any of the other horrific things happening every day around the world. Her giggles simply won’t translate in this new, hard news milieu.

I think Katie’s big move is a big gamble for her and for CBS. I know I won’t be tuning in. The lady just doesn’t have any street cred. Oh, and Katie, my answers are size two, jeans and natural, thank you very much.

Well, our news has been “dumbed down” for a long time, Steve. And, I think it’s naïve to think that moving Katie to the evening anchor spot is anything really new. As you know, it’s purely about TV ratings and nothing else. Whatever will grab eyeballs to sell more advertising is what any network will do. It’s why CNN focused on the most absurd Katrina stories 24 hours a day…for weeks afterwards and why a guy like Jim Cramer, the sensationalistic idiot, is so popular on CNBC. Katie might be one more glaring example of this reality. I’m not alarmed because it’s been a reality for a while and will just continue to manifest in new ways.

That’s a very surpising statement coming from a public relations person. News is our business and what’s happening to the news media should be our concern. Clients hire us, in part, because of our knowledge about the media. I think the dumbing down of the media is one of the most critical, long-term issues facing our society. It’s got a huge, long-term impact on global competitiveness. The dumber our kids, the less able we’ll be to compete. Maybe it won’t affect us, ed, but it will affect our kids. Btw, we should really be discussing this on the blog, not internally. It’s a great topic.

Maybe, steve. But, again as Moon wrote, she performed the way she needed to for the morning audience. Let’s see if she can change her style for the evening news.
Is it her perfume or shoes that make you cringe?

Syd’s the one who hit the nail on the head. News is being dumbed down into infotainment today. So, if CBS continues that trend and allows Katie to “play” with lighter issues she may in fact succeed. She’d never have cut it in the “hard news” days of Cronkite, Murrow, Huntley & Brinkley because, Ed, they were true journalists and Katie isn’t. She’s an entertainer.

But I think Katie knows that… After all, the Today Show is not the nightly news. The morning shows may cover hard topis but they also are good about covering “little girl” stuff. Save the real investigative stuff for the evening.

I thought Katie was great in her interview with George & Sr. Clooney this morning, proving the point that she has what it takes. She asked very thoughtful and appropriate questions regarding Darfur as any sharp journalist would. Maybe after that intense subject of genocide, Katie thought it would be nice to turn to a lighter and fluffier topic…
Besides, who says bad news is only news?

I agree with your comments. And, the irony is that the networks do NOT even consider the morning shows “NEWS.” They are under “entertainment” in the programming department…always have been and always will be.
If the execs at CBS were smart, they would have hired Anderson Cooper!

Sad, but true, Syd. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. The days of Murrow, Cronkite, and Messrs. Huntley & Brinkley are long gone. “Infotainment” is in fact king. And, by that yardstick and that yardstick alone, Katie may indeed succeed.

Stacy makes a good point by citing Brokaw as a model for Couric, but I don’t think it matters anymore. It’s not 1982. Anyone wanting serious news must go elsewhere than ABC, CBS and NBC. Issues of war and peace in faraway places such as Iraq and Iran, or domestic issues such as federal budget policy and the proper role of the judiciary, are too difficult and unpleasant to grasp for most Americans. They’d rather watch lame-brained soft features such as the one you highlight here.

Matt did a similar piece yesterday morning on what women find sexy about men–it was Katie’s turn this morning to get men’s point of view on women. While I agree that she’ll have to drop the giggles and “sweetheart” image to host the CBS Evening News, I disagree that her persona on the Today Show will inhibit her from making an effective switch. Tom Brokaw used to host the Today Show, and he became one of the most respected newsmen of his generation. Barbara Walters also made the move…although her image took a dive with The View.
Change is the spice of life…professionals in all industries adapt and grow as they seek out new opportunities. It’s not necessarily accurate to already decide Katie won’t make a good switch before giving her a chance to try it. And, I think the move will at the very least drive some much-needed ratings to the CBS News. I personally will give Katie a chance rather than watching the same evening news persona of the past few decades.

Amen RepMan. That bright-smile-girl-next-door image won’t milk the hard news cow. Won’t bother me to see her get kicked in all those teeth as she tries.

About

I'm a climber, comedian and dog lover. But not necessarily in that order. I also happen to be co-founder and CEO of Peppercomm, a strategic communications firm headquartered in NYC, and with offices in San Francisco, Boulder and London.

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Everything on this blog is my personal opinion and does not necessarily represent the views of Peppercomm or its clients. Some posts may contain references to businesses or people the Peppercomm or its clients work with or have worked with, and in such cases I make an effort to point out such connections in the posts. I also may choose not to write about subjects or events that may relate to or affect Peppercomm clients.